The purpose of this program is to provide a broad spectrum of training for individuals committed to research careers in Bioengineering. The Bioengineering program at the University of Washington has a long-standing, strong tradition of training graduate students. This proposal builds on the 25 year long Bioengineering training program history in cardiovascular studies, involving a high degree of interaction with Bioengineering's clinical and research colleagues at the University of Washington. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the United States. To address this health problem will require training outstanding scientists with a variety of backgrounds and strengths that can provide new and innovative approaches to the study, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. This application focuses specifically on four areas of training opportunities that are established strengths at the University of Washington: 1) Computational and Integrative Bioengineering; 2.) Diagnostic Imaging; 3.) Integrated Physiological Function, and; 4.) Therapeutic Technology Development. We are requesting support for six graduate students and five post-doctoral fellows or physician scientists interested in applying engineering and quantitative approaches to cardiovascular research. Predoctoral applicants will be selected from amongst highly qualified students, mainly in Bioengineering and basic health sciences, after they have passed their Qualifying Examinations. However, the program is also open to all individuals with background training in physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, medicine and the life sciences. The goal is to provide the research, communication and professional skills required to develop careers as independent, laboratory-based principal investigators. [unreadable] [unreadable] A multi-disciplinary group of twenty-four faculty comprises the training team. These faculty have an exceptional record of interdisciplinary research and a long-term commitment to student training. Several outstanding junior faculty compliment the team. In addition to training students and post-doctoral fellows, mentoring these junior faculty is critical to the successful establishment, development and expansion of our program. The administration of the program will be mainly through the Department of Bioengineering, which is jointly in the School of Medicine and the College of Engineering. [unreadable] [unreadable]